Burglar jailed after Anya Taylor-Joy and husband barricaded themselves in bedroom

The actor’s husband, Malcolm McRae, managed to scare off the robbers by shouting ‘I have a gun’

An armed career criminal has been jailed for attempting to break into the London bedroom of Hollywood star Anya Taylor-Joy, where her rockstar husband Malcolm McRae confronted the intruders.

Kirk Holdrick, 43, was one of two masked men who smashed their way into the luxury property in February 2023, in a raid prosecutors suggested may have been specifically targeted at the celebrity occupants.

Mr McRae barricaded himself and his wife inside their bedroom, armed only with a lamp, as Holdrick and his accomplice tried to prise open the door with a crowbar. The musician managed to scare off the burglars by shouting, "I have a gun, I have a gun", Wood Green Crown Court heard. Holdrick and his partner in crime then fled the home empty-handed.

Holdrick, who was already serving a life sentence for previous armed robberies, has now been handed a further three-year prison sentence for the burglary involving Ms Taylor-Joy and her husband. This follows a 12-year sentence he received last November for a separate, more violent home invasion.

Just nine days after the thwarted raid on Ms Taylor-Joy, Holdrick struck again in a second home invasion. Alongside accomplice Ashley Fulton, he disguised himself as a police officer for a raid in Sandbanks, overlooking Poole harbour. During this incident, a woman and her daughter were held at gunpoint, tied up, and threatened with extreme violence, including being burned with an iron and shot dead, if they did not open the family safe.

The Golden Globe-winning actress, 29, known for her roles in The Queen’s Gambit, The Witch, The Menu and Peaky Blinders, was staying at the London property on 12 February 2023 with Mr McRae and his musical partner, Kane Ritchotte, when the break-in occurred at about 1am. They heard glass being smashed in a side door, prompting Mr McRae to investigate.

Anya Taylor-Joy was staying at a mansion in London when the raid took place (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Archive)

Upon seeing Holdrick and another man, both wearing balaclavas and gloves, forcing their way in, the singer and guitarist shouted "hey, stop" before retreating. He ran back to the bedroom, locked the door, and instructed Ms Taylor-Joy to hide behind the bed. Mr McRae then armed himself with a lamp as the intruders began to force the bedroom door open with a crowbar. After Mr McRae’s bluff about having a gun, the thieves appeared to halt their efforts and, following a brief discussion, fled.

When Metropolitan Police officers arrived, Ms Taylor-Joy and Mr McRae remained barricaded inside the damaged bedroom. The couple later told police they had been traumatised by the ordeal and feared being targeted again.

CCTV footage showed Holdrick and his accomplice scaling a wall to the home, triggering an external security light, which appeared to startle them as they attempted to break in. Holdrick, who also used the alias Aaron Evans, left his DNA on the back door, and shoe prints from his trainers were found outside the bedroom door. He was arrested on 18 April 2023 after disembarking a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool. Initially denying responsibility, claiming his DNA was present from a previous party visit, he later abandoned his defence and pleaded guilty to burglary in mid-December last year.

During sentencing, prosecutors highlighted the fame of Ms Taylor-Joy and her husband, arguing that the raid may have been "targeted" given Holdrick’s direct approach to the bedroom rather than simply stealing valuables from other parts of the house. The Crown Prosecution Service insisted on pursuing the case, despite Holdrick already serving a life sentence, arguing that the London burglary indicated an escalating pattern of offending.

Nine days after the attempted raid on Ms Taylor-Joy and Mr McRae, Holdrick and Fulton, dressed as police officers and armed with an imitation firearm, targeted the home of wealthy businessman Mark Aitchison.

Undated Metropolitan Police handout photo of Kirk Holdrick, a career criminal who has been jailed for smashing into the London home where Anya Taylor-Joy was staying (Metropolitan Police)

They barged in on Mr Aitchison’s wife, Kerry, restraining her with cable ties and threatening to kill her if she did not open the family safe. When the couple’s daughter, Emily, arrived home unexpectedly, she was also seized, dragged by her hair, and threatened with the gun, Bournemouth Crown Court heard.

The intruders threatened to shoot her in front of her mother and asked where they kept an iron, telling her: "We want to burn you." Ms Aitchison was unable to open the safe, and the robbers fled with approximately £200,000 worth of luxury watches, designer handbags, jewellery, and cash. However, they left behind a trail of DNA, and police traced their getaway car, recovering vapes used by the men inside the vehicle.

Holdrick, originally from Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, has a history of convictions dating back to his teenage years, including burglaries. He pleaded guilty in Bournemouth to two counts of robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, and fraud, receiving a 12-year prison sentence for these offences, to be served alongside his existing life sentence, with an additional four years on licence if he is ever released.